Getting around Dahab: taxis, apps, the Blue Hole and the road to Sharm airport

Dahab's areas and how far apart they are

Wikivoyage describes the centre as the bay of Masbat, where the seafront promenade runs from Eel Garden in the north through Mashraba. The Lighthouse and Mashraba are better known as dive reefs than as places to stay. Further south, where the corniche ends, is the Lagoon area, a sheltered sandy bay that Wikivoyage recommends for children and windsurfing, with the first resort hotels. Assala is the mainly Bedouin residential district, set back from the sea.

On the road from Sharm you meet the Lagoon first and the Lighthouse last. Using OpenStreetMap routing without traffic, the road distance from Sharm airport is about 91 km to Assala and the Lagoon, 92 to 93 km to Mashraba and Eel Garden, and about 93 km to the Lighthouse. The whole strip is small enough to walk, which is why many visitors never need a car in town.

How taxis work inside Dahab

We could not find an official tariff or any source describing meters in Dahab, so assume the fare is agreed before you get in, and say the destination clearly. Wikivoyage warns that drivers may ask for twice the usual price and advises arranging pick-ups, such as a ride to the bus station, through your accommodation. It also gives short taxi fares, but they are dated 2021, so we do not repeat them. Ask your hotel what a local rate looks like today.

On apps, Uber does not work in Sinai according to our local partner companies in Sharm (October 2026), while Careem and inDrive do work in Sharm. For Dahab we can only say what we saw: inDrive's official Egypt sitemap lists a Sharm page but no Dahab page. That does not prove the app is unusable there, so check in the app before you rely on it, and do the same for Careem.

Getting to the Blue Hole and Three Pools

Wikivoyage places the Blue Hole about 7 km north of the town at the end of a dirt track, and the Canyon about 5 km north along the same track. OpenStreetMap routing puts the Blue Hole point near 98 km from Sharm airport, a few kilometres beyond the town centre. Wikivoyage calls a bicycle a convenient way to reach the Blue Hole and Three Pools and prefers an off-road bike for the last stretch. It gives no distance for Three Pools, and neither did we find one from an official source.

Without a bicycle the practical choices are a taxi agreed with your hotel, or a vehicle that you have arranged in advance. Wikivoyage mentions an entrance fee for foreign visitors at the Blue Hole, but its figure may have changed, so ask on arrival. Because the track is unpaved, check what a vehicle can handle before you commit to it.

From Dahab to Sharm airport and Sharm: bus, taxi or a car with a driver

Wikivoyage's Sinai page says East Delta coaches leave daily from the bus stations in Sharm and Dahab, and that you should check schedules at the station because the times are always changing. Its Dahab page puts the bus trip from Sharm at just under two hours. It places the Dahab bus station 3 to 4 km west of the main tourist strip and the Sharm station on the road toward the airport and Dahab. It describes the airport bus as erratic and the departure times as a statement of good intentions. The operator sites we opened did not show readable timetables, so we do not give times.

A taxi or a pre-booked car is the usual alternative. OpenStreetMap routing gives about 92 km and 74 minutes from the airport to central Dahab without traffic, and real trips take longer. We offer a car with a driver on the Dahab to Sharm El Sheikh airport transfer, and the Sharm El Sheikh to Dahab transfer for the way in. A car is priced as a whole, not per seat, and a return leg is booked separately.

Driving to Dahab from Sharm

There is no car-rental fleet in Dahab itself, according to our local partner companies, so a self-drive car is collected in Sharm and driven up the coast. Wikivoyage describes the east coast road from Sharm to Dahab as a good divided highway, with light traffic that is driven furiously. Our separate guide to a Dahab day trip by car covers the timings, the licence and what to ask the rental company, so we do not repeat them here.

If you drive, remember that Dahab is a town where you rarely need the car. Park near your hotel and walk the promenade. If you would rather not drive at all, a driver can take you and bring you back, which is often simpler than finding parking at the Blue Hole.

Checkpoints, ID and driving at night

Expect your documents to be checked on the road. The UK Foreign Office says police check ID regularly, will ask to see your passport and may detain you if you cannot show your ID and your visa. Carry your passport itself on the Sharm to Dahab road, not only a photo, together with the rental contract if you drive.

For entry, the Foreign Office names Dahab among the resorts covered by the free Sinai stamp if you arrive by air at Sharm and stay under 15 days, and says that travelling outside the resorts needs a visa. Check the date on your own stamp.

On night driving the Foreign Office advice is: do not drive outside main cities and resorts at night. We found it as advice, not a legal ban. In practice that means leaving Dahab early enough to reach Sharm in daylight, or booking a driver for a late departure.